One of the fundamental things about losing weight or getting healthy is changing the way you eat. Although some people like to diet for a little while and then return to their previous habits, it’s normally best to change your lifestyle permanently. But it’s difficult to change your diet when you have a busy life. Whether you’re working all day, looking after your kids or rushing around doing something else, healthy eating can feel like it’s taking up precious time. So many healthy recipes seem to take a long time to make, and it’s difficult to resist the temptation to grab some fast food while you’re on the go. If you’re struggling to stick to your new healthy eating regime, try these tips to keep you on the straight and narrow.
Cook Several Meals at Once
It can be difficult to find the time to cook dinner every night. And sometimes you have the time but you just don’t have the energy. To help you out on nights when you’re short or time or enthusiasm for cooking, prepare several meals at once. That doesn’t mean cooking lots of different dishes at the same time; simply cook one dish but make more than you need. You can refrigerate or freeze portions as individual meals to eat on other days. Just make sure you check how long you can keep your food in the fridge or freezer for before it’s unsafe to eat.
Use a Slow Cooker or Crockpot
If you have some spare time before you leave the house for work but less time and energy when you get home, start your meal before you go out the front door. A slow cooker can be great for those times you wish you could walk in and find dinner already on the table. Just prepare your ingredients and throw them in the slow cooker, and then leave everything to cook until you get home. Some recipes call for up to 16 hours of cooking time, so you could even start cooking the night before. If you cook it overnight and it’s done by morning, simply reheat it when you get home.
Supplement Your Healthy Eating
It can be a struggle to make sure you’re getting all the right nutrients from your food. Planning a menu can take a lot of time and effort in itself, and some essential nutrients are most often found in things you just don’t like to cook or eat. Consider taking nutritional supplements if you don’t think you’re getting enough of the good stuff from your meals.
Do All Your Shopping at Once
Resisting the temptation of snacks and fast food is one of the most difficult parts of changing your diet. If you do all of your grocery shopping at once, you cut out the need to run to the store for extra bits and pieces. Whenever you’re hungry, there should always be food in the cupboards. So plan a menu and get everything for the week at the same time. This also makes it easier to ration your snacks. And remember never to go shopping hungry!